Book Two Wylan: Chapter 15
The Next Adventure
Chapter 15: The Next Adventure
The sky was full of shooting stars trailing rainbow sparkles. As if a camera was filming the scene, Wylan watched as his body, sitting cross-legged on a blanket on the roof of the treehouse in the Severing Grove, came into view. His hair was short and brown. It was a Wylan from the past. His face was tilted up, taking in the cosmic light show with undisguised awe.
Wylan gasped and all at once crashed back into his body.
A slim hand with long nails pressed down on top of Wylan’s.
“Are you still afraid you’ll fall, Adventurer?”
His heart leaped into his throat.
“Kaelis,” Wylan whispered. “You’re here.”
“Where else would I be?” Kaelis laughed.
“But … but … you’re …” Wylan faltered. His tongue couldn’t push the “d” word out. It was too heavy. Too final.
“They’re beautiful,” Kaelis observed, oblivious to Wylan’s struggle, pointing out the kaleidoscopic, fireworks-like patterns sparkling above them. “Even better than the first time we watched.”
So he does have an awareness of time, Wylan considered.
“No kidding,” Wylan said softly. These stars were unlike any Wylan had ever experienced, and this time they weren’t drug-fueled. As fantastic as the stars were to watch, it was almost impossible to look away from Kaelis.
He looked just like he did that day they decided to storm Tamsin’s mansion to find the mirror portals.
It felt so real that Wylan could almost convince himself that they never did.
He already knew the fae realm didn’t operate under the same rules as the human world.
Maybe this was him slipping through space and time. Maybe this was his second chance. Hope bloomed in his chest.
“Let’s not go to Tamsin’s mansion to look for the portals,” Wylan rushed out. “Let’s stay here.”
“We already did,” Kaelis said.
“But… but you’re here…” Wylan stammered.
“So are you,” Kaelis said, looking as calm and unfazed as ever.
“I can stay here with you then,” Wylan insisted. “Please. Please let me stay.”
“It’s not time for you yet,” Kaelis said mysteriously.
“Wait,” Wylan gasped as it hit him, “Am I dead right now?”
Kaelis’s smiling face was the last thing Wylan saw, as he came to, sitting bolt upright on the couch with a gasp for air as loud as if he burst up from his head being held underwater.
His shirt was soaked in sweat. He wrestled it off and crumpled it into a ball.
He burst into tears and muffled the sob that wanted to burst out with a throw pillow. It felt like a cruel, sick, prank for Wylan to revisit the one beautiful and peaceful moment he had in Tamsin’s realm with Kaelis.
He silently cried until his eyes burned, then he splashed cold water on his face in the bathroom.
As he shuffled back to the living room, he glanced at the clock. It was 3 am. Again.
Wylan could follow the rules of Wen’s conditions: stay clean, get a job, start saving money to get his own place to rent, and repair his stolen car. He could start to build a “new life” for himself. But as he considered it, he realized that “new life” in Connecticut with his twin brother belonged to a different Wylan.
“It’s time to hit the road, kid,” Wylan whispered to his hamster as he changed into his jeans and a fresh shirt.
Wen always kept his car keys in a dish on the kitchen counter. Wylan picked them up and looked at his hand holding them as if it belonged to someone else.
He ripped a sheet off the notepad Wen kept on the fridge for his grocery list and watched as his hand scribbled out a letter to his brother.
Armed with all of his life’s possessions, Wylan crept into the garage. He pressed the button on the remote in Wen’s car, and the garage door rolled up. It wasn’t quiet, and Wylan braced himself for Wen to come blazing out. When Wen didn’t appear, Wylan hurriedly seat-belted his hamster’s cage into the passenger seat and chucked his duffel bag into the back row.
He backed out of the garage, still bracing himself for Wen to materialize and stop him. The garage door rolled back down with no sign of Wen. Wylan stomped the gas, taking off like a shot down the empty street.
It was time for his next adventure. California was calling, and who was Wylan to ignore it any longer than he already had?
The end.
Wow, this is it! 😲Wylan’s story and the second installment in the Millennial Monsters series is OVER! 🩵💫Whether you were part of Wylan’s story from day one or jumped in later on, thank you so much for being here and holding a place in your heart for this blue-haired gay disaster.
If you enjoyed any part of Wylan’s story, it’d mean the world to me if you tell a fantasy lover in your life about it and pass them a link to your fave chapter!✨🪞🗝️
While Wylan’s story is over … for now … this isn’t the end!
The first Millennial Monsters story following queer werewolf Wendell Batty is returning this fall as a full cast audio drama!
I’ll be uploading each episode here and on Apple Podcasts and your favorite podcatchers so if you’re not already subscribed to me, what are you waiting for!? 🙌🏻
Follow me over on my instagram itsmillennialmonsters for show updates and bonus content like character voice reveals and outtakes!
Now that Wylan’s story is over, I’ll also be crossposting some new “Meet the Humans Behind the Monsters” features starring my talented human voice actors (yup, no synthetic voices or genAI!) here.👏🏻
Video credits:
Wendell Batty voiced by Nathan Knight
Cayden Howley-Kirkwood voiced by Sebastian Christopher
Violet Sword voiced by Zoe Glader
Werewolves voiced by Kanashi Panda
Narrator voiced by Kyle Donelan
Video by Z.E. Southall